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WWII German Assault Tiger (13 photos, story and video)

Sturmtiger which is German for Assault Tiger was a World War II German assault gun built on the Tiger I chassis and armed with a massive rocket launcher.

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(American soldiers examine a captured Sturmtiger)

Its primary task was to provide heavy fire support for infantry units fighting in urban areas.

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(A Destroyed Sturmtiger in German Bavaria)

Only 19 were ever produced, including one prototype.

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(A Sturmtiger in the German town of Drolshagen)

It had a crew of 5 and was armed with a 380mm rocket launcher for which it carried 14 rounds and 1 MG34 machine gun.

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At the loading hatch’s rear was located a 100 millimeters grenade launcher, using Bounding mines, which was used for close range defense against both armored vehicles and infantry in a 360 degree circle around the vehicle.

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The 380 mm rocket launcher, which was originally designed for the Kriegsmarine (navy) as a det charge launcher.

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(The rocket launcher was big enough to fit a man in)

The rounds it would fire weight up to 376kg at a range of up to 6000 meters.

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(Loading a round, note the crane at the back)

In order to load the rounds a crane was attached to the rear of the tank but even so it needed the entire crew of 5 to load the round.

The few vehicles produced fought in the Warsaw Uprising, the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of the Reichswald.

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(Close-up of the 380mm mortar, it is loaded with a round. Notice the holes around the barrel, these were used to ventilate the gasses from the firing of the projectile.)

During the battle for the bridge at Remagen, a total of 7 Sturmtigers were used in the battle. The Sturmtigers were originally tasked with using their howitzers against the bridge itself, though it was discovered that they lacked the accuracy needed to effectively hit the bridge. They were then used as artillery to bombard the town.

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(Sturmtiger in the Deutsches Panzermuseum. In the front is the main 380 mm caliber rocket-propelled projectile.)

Only 3 Sturmtigers have survived:

Sturmtiger number 250174 is on display at the Deutsches Panzermuseum at Munster. This vehicle is currently on loan from the Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung in Koblenz.
A Sturmtiger is on display at the Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia. This vehicle is believed to have been captured by advancing Red Army units in the Elbe area in April 1945.
A 380 mm Raketen-Werfer (rocket launcher) is in the collection of the Bovington Tank Museum.

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